Marquette University Opus College of Engineering

Students in a popular engineering technical elective leave Marquette with a unique gift to remind them of their commitment to lifelong learning and skill-building: Dr. Phil Voglewede’s homemade potpourri.

The course, aptly named Mechanical Engineering Potpourri, focuses on a survey of practical engineering tools and engineering philosophies that are used in entry-level positions. The potpourri gift represents Voglewede’s vision for the course and serves as a reminder to the students about their duty to continuously grow in skills, knowledge and understanding.

“My hope as an educator is that I am setting students up to succeed and supporting our industry partners with the talent they need,” says Voglewede. “The stakes are high. These Marquette students are the engineers, designers and executives that will have to fix the problems of our world.”

Read more:

Mechanical engineering potpourri: Dr. Voglewede’s gift to future industry leaders | Marquette Today Students in a popular engineering technical elective leave Marquette with a unique gift to remind them of their commitment to lifelong learning and skill-building: Dr. Phil Voglewede’s homemade potpourri.

✨ Marquette engineers in the making ✨

It was a joy to welcome the newest members of our Marquette engineering community to campus for day one of SPARK orientation with our engineering advising team!

We are counting down the days until the hands-on fun begins this fall 😎

Privacy shades down in Marquette’s Human Performance Lab mean biomedical engineers are in action conducting research with human subjects today!

Researchers in this lab focus on addressing motor control problems related to neurological disorders using technology like our VR-equipped treadmill system – check it out next time the shades are up.

Summer may feel a little quieter across campus, but engineering faculty and student research teams remain hard at work across labs to address problems for our communities.

🌎 Engineering servant leaders collaborating alongside communities 🌎

Marquette’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders has earned the 2026 Engineering Education Award from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) for the student organization’s water distribution system project with the Cruz Chich and Chumisa communities in Guatemala. The award, which carries a $25,000 prize, recognizes programs that promote interaction and collaboration between engineering students and licensed professionals.

Beginning in 2024, the project focused on designing and implementing a sustainable water distribution system that would provide over 350 households in the communities with access to clean water in their homes for the first time.

Learn more:

Marquette chapter of Engineers Without Borders earns national award for Guatemala water project | Marquette Today Marquette’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders earned the 2026 Engineering Education Award from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying for the student organization’s water distribution system project with the Cruz Chich and Chumisa communities in Guatemala.

😎 What did we miss?

Four exceptional engineering alumni were honored at our 2026 Opus College of Engineering Alumni Awards Conferral last week!

Each recipient shared words of wisdom and stories from Marquette University and beyond to an audience of family, friends, alumni, faculty, staff, students, and industry and community partners. These leaders embody Marquette’s mission through their character, personal and professional achievements, as well as their impact on the community and others.

Congratulations to Daniel S. Letter, Eng '99, recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award

Congratulations to Daniel R. Meckes, Eng '82, recipient of the Professional Achievement Award

Congratulations to Teri Sippel Schmidt, Eng '87, Grad '92, recipient of the Service Award

Congratulations to John C. Kennedy, Eng '07, recipient of the Young Alumnus of the Year Award

Please join us in congratulating these inspiring engineering alumni!

Learn more: https://www.marquette.edu/alumni/alumni-awards/engineering-recipients.php

A timeline treat for all who call Engineering Hall their favorite 💜

A lifelong runner, Dr. Jim Richie recently celebrated his 62,000th career mile over 50 years of running.

For the associate professor of electrical engineering, the milestone can be measured in many ways: 2.5 times around the Earth, over a quarter of the way to the moon or about 90 pairs of running shoes. The distance is impressive, but it’s Richie’s lasting presence at Marquette that makes all the difference.

For the past 38 years, Richie has taught 170 courses to over 1,200 engineering students, by his estimation. But, running and teaching have never been numbers games for Richie. He revels in what each step has to offer.

Read more:

62,000 miles of impact: What running has taught lifelong educator Dr. Jim Richie | Marquette Today A lifelong runner, Dr. Jim Richie recently celebrated his 62,000th career mile over 50 years of running. The distance is impressive, but it’s Richie’s lasting presence at Marquette that makes all the difference.

This past semester, the Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering hosted their second annual Research Day to celebrate research and innovation among biomedical engineering students.

The event featured a keynote address from Dr. Joseph Avila, grad ’21, senior analysis engineer, occupant protection at Tesla; a research poster session; student presentations and a panel Q&A with alumni postdocs.

This showcase of student curiosity, teamwork and hands-on experience represents the difference our Joint Department offers for the next generation of biomedical engineering leaders.

Another cheer for our new alumni 💙💛